Signalling mechanism



June 28, 1955 E. B. NOLT SIGNALLING MECHANISM Original Filed 001;. 50,1951 United States Patent() SIGNALLING MECHANISM Edwin E. Nolt, NewHolland, Pa., assignor to The Sperry Corporation, New York, N. Y., acorporation of Delaware @riginal application October 30, 1951, SerialNo. 183,321.

Divided and this application November 26, 1952, Serial No. 322,714

2 Claims. (Cl. 200-6118) This invention relates to a Signallingmechanism for indicating exhaustion of a supply of flexible tensionmaterial, and more particularly to such a mechanism for indicatingexhaustion of the supply of handing material uti iized by the tyingmechanism of an automatic picl-oup baler for banding the bales of hayformed thereby.

This is a division of my copending application Serial No. 183,321, filedOctober 30, 1951.

In the usual pick-up baler, the completed bales are handed either bywire or twine which is drawn from a supply of such wire or twine carriedon the baler, the wire or twine passing from the supply to a needle orshuttle mechanism which passes it across the bale chamber and around therear end of a completed bale to deliver it to a suitable tying mechanismwhich unites it with a free end of wire previously passed around saidbale.

Ordinarily when the supply of wire or twine becomes exhausted, the baleroperator is not aware of this fact until the automatic tying mechanismfails to perform its intended function, with the result that unbandedbales are formed and ejected from the baleri Where this occurs, it isnecessary for the operator to discontinue the operations while hereplenishes the supply of handing material and then proceeds to properlythread the end of a new supply of banding material through the needlesand other parts of the tying mechanism.

With the foregoing considerations in mind it is a primary object of theinvention to provide means capable of actuating a signal to inform thebaler operator of the exhaustion of the supply of the banding material,in ample time so that he may discontinue operation of the baler andreplenish the supply before any unbanded bales are formed and before thebitter end of the banding material is drawn through the needles,requiring that they be rethreaded.

A signal actuating means in accordance with the preferred embodiment ofthe invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which thefigure shows such a means mounted on the wire can or container such asis usually carried by an automatic pick-up baler to hold a reel of wirewhich is drawn therefrom and used by the tying mechanism of the balerduring usual baling opera tions, the container being shown fragmentarilyonly.

Referring now in detail to the accompanying drawing, the illustratedcontainer 151 is of a type which is shown and described more fully in myaforesaid copending application 183,321. However, for the purpose of thepresent application the wire container 151 may be broadly regarded asany means for holding a supply of either wire or twine, which will benormally in the form of either a reel or roll, so that same may befreely payed out from the supply as required by the bale tying mechanismor banding mechanism. It will be seen that the container 151 is providedwith a suitable opening 152 through which the wire or other bandingmaterial is drawn from the supply thereof within the container 151.

Fixed on the container 151, as by welding, and extending across theopening 152 thereof, is a wire guide, gener- 2,712,042 Patented June 28,1955 ally designated 153 which is of substantially U-shape having itscross piece 154 disposed to span the opening 152, and its legsterminating in outwardly turned extremities 155 which are securedagainst the container 151. Connected between the legs of the guide 153in spaced parallel relation to the cross-piece 154 thereof is rigidmember 214, both of the members or portions 154 and 214 respectivelybeing provided with small openings as at 154' in the member 154, wherebythese relatively spaced members 154 and 214 may function as relativelyspaced guide elements through which the wire may be drawn from thecontainer in the direction of the arrow shown in the drawing.

A signal element comprising a feeler 215 is mounted on the wire guide153 for movement between the wire guide elements 154 and 214respectively and across the path of the wire W from an inoperativeposition on one side of the wire, as shown in full lines in the figure,to an operative position on the other side thereof, as shown in brokenlines in the figure. In the preferred embodiment, the feeler 215comprises the movable contact or contact arm of an electric switch, samebeing supported for swinging movement between the elements 154 and 214on a pintle 216 supported between said elements 154 and 214, it beingapparent that the pintle 216 serves as a guide for the teeler 215 duringits swinging movement.

A fixed contact 217, which may be regarded as a signal actuatingelement, is supported on an insulating element 21%, carried by the wireguide 153 in the path of movement of the switch arm or contact 215, foroperative en gagement thereby. A suitable spring means 219 coiled aboutthe pintle 216 with its opposite ends exerting a torque against thefixed member 213 and the t'eeler 219 respectively serves to resilientlyurge the feeler or switch arm 215 toward operative engagement with itscoacting fixed contact 217.

in the operation of the invention it will be seen that the switch arm215 is normally held in a retracted inoperative position by the wire W,a portion of which is guided by the elements 154 and 214 to extendacross the path of movement of the switch arm 215 between itsinoperative and operative positions. However, as the roll or supply ofwire W is exhausted, and the bitter end 220 thereof shown in the drawingis drawn through the guide element 214, this permits the switch arm 215to immediately swing downwardly under the action of spring 219 tooperatively engage the fixed contact 217 and close an electrical circuitthrough said contacts 215 and 217.

The warning means here shown may be connected into a circuit to sound abuzzer or other signal device but preferably is connected to the sparksystem of the motor on the baler to cause the motor to misfire or stopas the operator prefers, thus a buzzer may be energized or the motorgrounded out to warn the operator of the baler of the fact that the wiresupply is low. Inasmuch as such warning will be given just as the bitterend of the banding material is withdrawn from its source of supply, thebaler operator will normally be informed of the exhaustion of the supplyof handing material so that he may replenish same in ample time beforeany unbanded bales are formed or before it becomes necessary to rethreadthe tying mechanism of the baler.

In this application I have shown only the preferred embodiment of theinvention as employed in conjunction with the tying mechanism of anautomatic baler, merely, in order to set forth the best modecontemplated by me of carrying out my invention, as required by law.However, I recognize that my invention is capable of modification, thatit is capable of other uses, and also that its several details may bemodified in various ways, all without departing from my invention.Accordingly, the drawing and description herein, are to be regarded asmerely illustrative in nature and not as excluding other forms of theinvention.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim:

1. A signaling mechanism for indicating exhaustion of a supply offlexible tension materialfrom a container, comprising a guide mounted onsaid container and having a pair of relatively spaced guide elementsthrough which the material is drawn from said container, a feelermounted on said guide for swinging movement between said ele mentsacross the path of said material from an inoperative position on oneside of said material to an operative position on the other sidethereof, said feeler comprising the movable contact of an electricswitch, said material normally retaining the feeler in its inoperativeposition and the exhaustion of said material permitting movement of thefeeler to its operative position, a fixed contact being disposed on theopposite side of said elements from the movable contact in theinoperative position of the latter for engagement by said movablecontact when the latter is released for movement to its operativeposition responsive to exhaustion of the supply of'said material.

2. A signaling mechanism for indicating exhaustion of a supply of wiredrawn from a source of supply, comprising a wire guide mounted adjacentsaid source and having a pair of relatively spaced guide elementsthrough which the wire is drawn from said source, a feelcr, said feelercomprising the movable contact of an electric switch,

means guiding same for movement between said elements across the path ofthe Wire from an inoperative position on one side of the wire to anoperative position on the other side thereof, means resiliently urgingsaid feeler toward operative position, said wire normally retaining saidfeeler in its inoperative position, the feeler moving to operativeposition as said'wire is exhausted from said supply and drawn past saidfeeler, and a fixed contact disposed on the opposite side of said guideelements from the said movable contact in the inoperative position ofthe latter and in position for engagement by said movable contact whenthe latter is released for movement to its operative position responsiveto the exhaustion of said wire.

References'Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS404,651 Paca June 4, 1889 1,582,927 Hentschell et a1 May 4, 19261,641,658 Berglund Sept. 6, 1927 1,657,901 Rider Jan. 31, 1928 1,725,469Millingar et al Aug. 20, 1929 2,121,376 Wachsrnan et a1 June 21, 19382,144,124 Rozyskie Jan. 17, 1939 2,227,303 Flaws, Jr Dec. 31, 19402,579,407 Turner Dec. 18, 1951 2,584,734 Owens Feb. 5, 1952

